Along the Riverbank

     I guess I would call myself an athlete. That is, in the sense that I play sports. However, there are two things that separate me from your average athlete. First, I am simply not flexible. I can't even touch my toes. One New Years, my resolution was to stretch every day to improve my flexibility, but a month later, there I was, still 6 inches away from touching my toes, no closer than I'd been the day I started. I think there may be something wrong with me!      And secondly, I am not hard-core competitive. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is fun to win. I definitely wouldn't mind a first place trophy. But it takes me maybe 5 minutes - or, when I really get whooped, an ice-cream cone - to completely forget about it.      My basketball team played in a tournament this past weekend, and not to many people's surprise, we lost every game...by a lot. Our school is small- really small-and brand new, so we are starting from the ground and work...

     Flip to Jeremiah 1:4-10 in your Bible or pull it up on your phone and soak it in! These verses spoke straight to my heart today. Here's the snippet from my perspective:      Before Jeremiah was even born, God had a purpose for his life. God's purpose for Jeremiah: to be a prophet. (I mean, that's a pretty big deal. Can you say pressure?!) So after God tells Jeremiah this, Jeremiah, who was quite possibly in a state of shock and confusion at this point of the story, responds something like this: "But...God, I can't be a prophet. I mean, I'm too young to lead people. I'm not even good at talking to people."      May I just stop here to make a confession? I am right there in Jeremiah's shoes. I have, more than once, experienced the feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, and fear that I imagine he is feeling here. How often do I use the excuse of being too young? All. the. time. As 15 year-old girl, the lie that I am incompetent to do anyth...

     11 days since I took my first step in the US after arriving back from Kenya. It seems so odd that in less than 24 hours of travel, your world can go from houses made of rocks, sticks, and mud, little kids running around with no pants on, and cooking over a small fire in the corner to air-conditioning, HD television, and where dropping $100 on a pair of shoes seems like nothing. When I arrived back, I had a minor case of culture shock. We went shopping at the Landing and sifting through clothes racks and shoe boxes, it made my head spin a little. It is just so different.        I forget that most of my readers (my very few readers), have never been to Kenya, so I decided I would put together a list of 5 good things to know, in case you find yourself there in the near future. So let's begin! 1.  Mzungu  is a word that you will commonly hear shouted at you as you walk down the street, usually accompanied by big smiles and waves. It means...

        I have officially been home from Kenya for 5 days! I can't decide whether it feels like yesterday, or a year ago that I was there. I remember it all vividly, perfectly. The dirt roads, the sound of motorcycles going by, and a large bunch of wonderful, beautiful people that I miss like crazy-it is like a crystal clear snapshot that I can see perfectly, but is just right out of my reach. I can't take a hold of it. I can't touch it, feel it. I can't be there.         I have never been a very patient person, and my time is a part of my life I have had a very difficult time surrendering to God. But slowly He is teaching me-or I guess it would be more accurate to say-slowly I am learning. I have surrendered everything I have to God, but often I reach out and try to grab it back in a panic, and every time I find that I mess it up.         Yesterday, we took our family from out of town zip-lining. I absolutely love it; b...